The speakers addressed the unjust and unconstitutional decision to surrender Hassan Diab to France, and in particular the newly revealed fact that the French have not laid charges against him. It is shocking that the Minister is prepared to hand a Canadian over to a foreign state for mere questioning and on mere suspicion, where he may languish for years in pre-trial detention. The speakers also addressed problems with Canada’s extradition law, and responded to questions from the media.

“This is not extradition to stand trial,” Mr. Bayne said. “France has admitted they have an incomplete case and in fact there may never be a trial or sufficient evidence to put him on trial. France wants this country to hand over a Canadian citizen to further an investigation. This has never been done in Canada.”

In his statement at the press conference, Dr. Diab said:

“I am innocent of the accusations against me. I have never engaged in terrorism.”

“I am not an anti-Semite. I have always been opposed to bigotry and violence.”

“My life has been turned upside down because of unfounded allegations and suspicions.”

“It would be a grave injustice to extradite me for a crime that even the evidence shows I did not commit.”

Justice Maranger’s decision last June to extradite Dr. Diab, and now Nicholson’s decision to surrender him to France, will become part of a joint appeal to the Court of Appeal for Ontario.

“The multi-year extradition saga of Ottawa university professor Hassan Diab — sought by the French for his alleged role in a 1980 Paris bombing that claimed four lives — has taken yet another bizarre turn with the news that Diab has not even been formally charged. He is merely sought for questioning, with no guarantee that a trial would ensue.

Despite this astounding discovery — no doubt discomfiting to the Ontario judge who presided over Diab’s two-year extradition hearing — Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has signed a surrender order committing Diab to years of French detention without charge while the 32-year investigation into the crime continues.

It’s a decision that Diab’s lawyer, Don Bayne, says is unprecedented in Canadian history. But then again, nothing about the Diab case passes the judicial smell test. It would be an understatement at best to declare that Diab, who adamantly denies any involvement and condemns violence and anti-Semitism, is a victim of mistaken identity. Indeed, Diab’s finger and palm prints, handwriting, and physical description do not match those of the suspect, yet the case has ground on largely due to an arcane process that sacrifices the Charter rights of an individual to the politics of foreign relations…”